Friday was fine. Not much different than Thursday, but I got the quotes all caught up! That was the extent of the in-office excitement today. Out of the office, members voted on the Iraq resolution and a few are still working and having meetings over the weekend before they head out on their District Work Periods next week.
This weekend: Homework, Museums and Homework.
2/16/07
2/15/07
Calm after the Storm
If yesterday was a roller coaster, today was the scenic train ride. Because we packed all that action into one day, we have nothing to prepare for and thus no work for interns. The rest of the staff was busy however, as meetings were long-winded and schedules delayed because there is now more for people to talk about than ever. I did end up getting my quote compiling all the way to February 6th, and should be up to speed by tomorrow.
After work there was not only one, but two receptions to attend. I almost feel bad, because I have nothing to contribute if anyone is talking about politics. I care, I matter, but my opinion is uneducated and low content compared to the topics talked about at these gatherings. But during my short lull in being able to contribute to society, I was able to take, so I did. I think I took enough for supper and breakfast (not home with me, just consumed while I was there), which is great in a city with $50 haircuts. Tomorrow is the last day of what seems to be a short week, with a long weekend.
A short thank you to everyone and anyone for your gifts and cards for both my birthday and Valentine's Day, I will also be sending a personalized autographed photo of me at my desk. Just kidding, but I will be sending you thank you cards soon, I just wanted you to know I appreciate them all, but haven't found the time (or bought the thank you cards) to do them.
After work there was not only one, but two receptions to attend. I almost feel bad, because I have nothing to contribute if anyone is talking about politics. I care, I matter, but my opinion is uneducated and low content compared to the topics talked about at these gatherings. But during my short lull in being able to contribute to society, I was able to take, so I did. I think I took enough for supper and breakfast (not home with me, just consumed while I was there), which is great in a city with $50 haircuts. Tomorrow is the last day of what seems to be a short week, with a long weekend.
A short thank you to everyone and anyone for your gifts and cards for both my birthday and Valentine's Day, I will also be sending a personalized autographed photo of me at my desk. Just kidding, but I will be sending you thank you cards soon, I just wanted you to know I appreciate them all, but haven't found the time (or bought the thank you cards) to do them.
2/14/07
First One There... First One to Leave?
Now that I have my bearings and know most of what I need to know, things get annoying. One of these annoyances is the voices on the elevator. They are pretty specific and include sayings like "2nd floor, going up", "4th floor, going down", and my personal favorite, "this elevator is full, please wait for the next elevator". Before today, I accepted them as serving a disability function, for people who are blind or optically impaired, but today I realized they were probably just put in so people addicted to their Blackberrys don't just work from the elevator the whole day.
Today was the big hearing, I got there a little earlier than usual, and the first line-holder rode the same elevator as I did. I forgot to mention that yesterday the federal government shutdown at 2pm because of projected weather conditions for the drive home, and some schools closing early. The federal government shutting down means nothing to your office unless your boss says it does, and because we are now a Minnesotan office, we won't be shutting down too often, but it wasn't bad (in Minnesota terms) and I was fine with our choice to stay until 9 and be ready for today rather than be there at 4am this morning. Back to the original story, so I was surprised to see this young man there so early, as we received an email this morning (for those of us who signed up to be notified of federal government closure) that read:
Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are OPEN under a DELAYED ARRIVAL\UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. Employees should plan to arrive for work no more than 2 hours later than they would normally arrive.
So when I did put away my coat and sit at my desk with no mail to sort (which usually comes right at 9am versus 11am today) the phone calls started coming. Paraphrasing all of them together, they were asking "Is the meeting still at its regular time"? It was still at 10 am, and the room did not get any bigger. We turned many staff and press personnel away, and they weren't very happy with us. Because a member of the cabinet was in our presence, we invited the police who were a little less polite than we could have possibly been, but got the job done a little faster. The meeting went off fine, the phone calls kept coming, and three of us took turns playing bouncer at the front door. This is a dangerous place to be, because while all staff want to get in, some staff need to get in, to talk to their boss, and it is hard to decipher between the two requests. But we are all still alive, even with people presenting us a few angry faces followed by turns and stomping away aimed our way. After that, Mr. Peterson testified before the budget committee, and we did the rest of the afternoon chores when our boss was nice enough to let Gabe and me off at 4:00. So I got my phone fixed, which wasn't able to receive incoming calls, and was home by the time I am usually let off work.
With all the drama today (Mr. Petersons testifying was a lot of work to put together I'm sure, although I had no part in it) the rest of the week is pretty mellow. We will not have to work President's day either, which I found out is never a guarantee because national holidays are just "another day" in a Congressional Staff's calendar. This is ironic as the people who make the laws to make something a national holiday may be the only ones (or some of the small percentage) working.
Today was the big hearing, I got there a little earlier than usual, and the first line-holder rode the same elevator as I did. I forgot to mention that yesterday the federal government shutdown at 2pm because of projected weather conditions for the drive home, and some schools closing early. The federal government shutting down means nothing to your office unless your boss says it does, and because we are now a Minnesotan office, we won't be shutting down too often, but it wasn't bad (in Minnesota terms) and I was fine with our choice to stay until 9 and be ready for today rather than be there at 4am this morning. Back to the original story, so I was surprised to see this young man there so early, as we received an email this morning (for those of us who signed up to be notified of federal government closure) that read:
Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are OPEN under a DELAYED ARRIVAL\UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. Employees should plan to arrive for work no more than 2 hours later than they would normally arrive.
So when I did put away my coat and sit at my desk with no mail to sort (which usually comes right at 9am versus 11am today) the phone calls started coming. Paraphrasing all of them together, they were asking "Is the meeting still at its regular time"? It was still at 10 am, and the room did not get any bigger. We turned many staff and press personnel away, and they weren't very happy with us. Because a member of the cabinet was in our presence, we invited the police who were a little less polite than we could have possibly been, but got the job done a little faster. The meeting went off fine, the phone calls kept coming, and three of us took turns playing bouncer at the front door. This is a dangerous place to be, because while all staff want to get in, some staff need to get in, to talk to their boss, and it is hard to decipher between the two requests. But we are all still alive, even with people presenting us a few angry faces followed by turns and stomping away aimed our way. After that, Mr. Peterson testified before the budget committee, and we did the rest of the afternoon chores when our boss was nice enough to let Gabe and me off at 4:00. So I got my phone fixed, which wasn't able to receive incoming calls, and was home by the time I am usually let off work.
With all the drama today (Mr. Petersons testifying was a lot of work to put together I'm sure, although I had no part in it) the rest of the week is pretty mellow. We will not have to work President's day either, which I found out is never a guarantee because national holidays are just "another day" in a Congressional Staff's calendar. This is ironic as the people who make the laws to make something a national holiday may be the only ones (or some of the small percentage) working.
2/13/07
Long Day
I left Longworth House Office Building at 9 pm as we made preparations for THE hearing tomorrow (with Secretary Johanns). Because we are crammed into a Subcommittee room, basically no one will get in. I guess the usual scenario is to fit a couple hundred people comfortably into the large committee room, with the members sitting comfortably on the semicircles in front, facing the testifying party. The over-flow crowd is then able to watch the hearing from our Subcommittee room (the one we are currently using) on the big screen TVs.
Tomorrow on the other hand, we will have about 60 people in the audience, that includes all staff, press, and the Secretary's staff, with the Secretary's table in front, and the 46 Committee members around the 2 semicircles and an extra table for the remaining 10 members that do not fit in the two semicircles.
The reason that we were so late was because a Rice organization was holding a reception in that room, so I was able to have supper, but we were unable to begin restoring the room to its hearing-style protocol until 8 pm.
The earlier part of the day was spent entering quotes into the database (I'm now on January 25th) and running errands. I was able to sneak away for one of our staff member's speaking engagements, where she talked to stakeholders in the soybean industry.
I also learned that lobbyists will pay a kid like me $20 an hour just to stand in line to save them a spot for important hearings like this one. Talk about easy money. I better get to sleep, have to be in early tomorrow to make sure no one reserves a seat.
Tomorrow on the other hand, we will have about 60 people in the audience, that includes all staff, press, and the Secretary's staff, with the Secretary's table in front, and the 46 Committee members around the 2 semicircles and an extra table for the remaining 10 members that do not fit in the two semicircles.
The reason that we were so late was because a Rice organization was holding a reception in that room, so I was able to have supper, but we were unable to begin restoring the room to its hearing-style protocol until 8 pm.
The earlier part of the day was spent entering quotes into the database (I'm now on January 25th) and running errands. I was able to sneak away for one of our staff member's speaking engagements, where she talked to stakeholders in the soybean industry.
I also learned that lobbyists will pay a kid like me $20 an hour just to stand in line to save them a spot for important hearings like this one. Talk about easy money. I better get to sleep, have to be in early tomorrow to make sure no one reserves a seat.
Johanns Picture
Looks like it's going to be a long night... We have to set up for tomorrows hearing after an 8 pm reception is done, so I figured I would post this now. Have a good evening
2/12/07
Possibly Stopping the Stop and Go
The majority of my day was spent entering in quotes from Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Goodlatte, Senator Harkin, Senator Chambliss and Secretary Johanns into a database. I think I'm about to go "booted" from my desk as we are in the process of hiring staff, which is now a welcome adjustment. Because I now have projects, the saying hi to people and being nice when I answer the phone every 20 seconds is getting old. If I am moved (its not for sure) I think I will be much more productive than I am now in my stop-and-go routine.
This afternoon I attended a meeting that lasted a little over an hour with some of the people in the top tier of the USDA and President Bush's personal assistant on Agriculture. They gave a preview, or more of an explanation, of what they implied or suggested when they made their Farm Bill 2007 recommendations. This is of course one of many events that serve as a precursor to the full Committee meeting and hearing including Secretary Johanns, which will be broadcast at the link earlier in this sentence. The hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at 10:00 am, and it is a meeting I am guessing I will not be able to attend.
I also realized that I now have full access to the CRS website I was orientated to last week. On the website they have everything that is "current" for this session. CRS also does bill summaries much like THOMAS, but they are more in depth and can provide you with more information.
...back to homework.
This afternoon I attended a meeting that lasted a little over an hour with some of the people in the top tier of the USDA and President Bush's personal assistant on Agriculture. They gave a preview, or more of an explanation, of what they implied or suggested when they made their Farm Bill 2007 recommendations. This is of course one of many events that serve as a precursor to the full Committee meeting and hearing including Secretary Johanns, which will be broadcast at the link earlier in this sentence. The hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at 10:00 am, and it is a meeting I am guessing I will not be able to attend.
I also realized that I now have full access to the CRS website I was orientated to last week. On the website they have everything that is "current" for this session. CRS also does bill summaries much like THOMAS, but they are more in depth and can provide you with more information.
...back to homework.
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